Some images of the psychedelic;
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Psychedelic imagery is arguably a form of hallucination. However, the
above images were obtained by a combination of
saturating and blowing up an original clear picture. Refracted light,
occurs in nature by a well established physical
process. This is one explanation
for why psychedelic effects are more easily detected in the outlines of
shapes and within the
contours of foliage and
trees. Another explanation is the sensitivity of the eye of the
observer, the use of certain hallucinogenic
drugs, such as psilocibine,
which occurs naturally in various forms of wild mushroom, being to
increase such an optical sensitivity,
through detraction of
the retina. In this sense, such hallucinations are physically real,
though, perhaps, not normally,
though naturally, observed. This is in
contrast to the more commonly accepted meaning of a hallucination, as
being a thought
process, which cannot
possibly bear any resemblance
to physical reality. If the last image induces colours at the edge due
to
the sharp transition from light to dark, this could be a hallucination
in the latter sense. In the images below, the effect of
diffraction is
explored in the blurring quality of light. The last image demonstrates
refraction through glass and reflection off a water surface.
There
are some blurring effects due to thermal noise. The effect of light at
different wavelengths on temperature could be due to dissipation
of photon energies, behaving as a gas. The
electromagnetic energy increases with the frequency of radiation
according to the wave
theory, with an average photon momentum
increasing with energy, and an overall increase in photon energies due
to the standard
deviation change of the momentum
distribution at higher energies. The Herschel experiment
paradoxically measures an increase in
temperature with lower frequency,
but this seems to be due to the greater bandwidth in the red part of
the spectrum. Scattering effects,
as in
the pictures below, cause the appearance of colours, even in the night
sky, due to the lower position of the sun and the
greater
amount of atmosphere which light has to pass through. This
effect does not occur with stars, due to the greater elevation, as seen
in the
last image.
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Similarly to scattering, diffraction effects can also cause the
appearance of colours, for example in the first image below, where
the contours of the arches seem highlighted in pink, brown or purple,
suggesting mixtures. Different wavelengths of light cause
separate interference patterns due to path difference required for a
phase shift, and may be reinforced at certain angles. The
diffraction model supports the idea of light as a wave, while
scattering is the particle model. The resolution of this apparent
contradiction is not only of scientific interest, but also illustrates
the
enchanting and enigmatic nature of light. The comprehension
of light from both aesthetic and scientific perspectives seems to be an
elusive but fascinating undertaking. A perfect understanding,
mirrored in the complete prediction of charge, current and
electromagnetic fields, would inevitably lead not only to enormous
scientific advances but might also be a doorway to interstellar
exploration and enormous possibilities for the human race. I have
used the images of doorways, lights, arches, abbeys and lanterns in the
second,
third, fourth, fifth and sixth images.
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In the following images, taken of lanterns at night, we can observe a
slight shift in the colour of the scattered photon, as predicted
by the Compton experiment, and explained by the conservation of
momentum in special relativity for particles. We can also see
regions of maxima and minima, as predicted by the wave model in
diffraction effects. The blurring around the photon path is
reminiscent of a gas flare, and can be understood using the theory of
photon gases effected by temperature, and Planck's distribution
for photon velocities. The diagonal white rays of ambient light contain
all the above possibilities in one. In the first image, we always
see two photon paths, blue and yellow, with a red blurring around the
yellow.
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In the first of the next images, which contains two light sources, we
can see a
cancellation effect, the blue and yellow photon paths
combining
to form an expanded yellow region with a pink blurring. This could
again
be explained as a scattering effect, using the
particle model and conservation of momentum, the different
blurring due to a difference in
temperature as a result of the lower energy
of the resultant particle. There is also an unusual change in
colour to a green and pink
flash in a straight line ray, below the apex of the arch.
There could be a geometric effect here, with some reflection off
the walls of the
arch. In the second image, we can see three light sources,
there is a wave interference effect, with some remaining wave pattern
on the right, probably due to a slight asymmetry. In the second image,
taken with flash, we see a complete cancellation of the wave generated
in the UV spectrum. Similarly, there is a change in colour to a
green,
pink and brown flash in a straight line ray. Again, there could be a
geometric effect here, with some reflection off the linear angle of the
building.
A further picture shows an unusual pair of photons, travelling in
parallel. The presence of fire in one of the images, causes a
cancellation in the
usual wave pattern below the light source, which could be explained by
thermal noise. In the third image, we can see 2 photon paths at
different
angles, suggesting that, in this case, 1 photon is not losing energy at
different points on its trajectory. Again we can see a brown ray, but
combined with a silver ray, possibly due to the presence of a corner.
There is a reflection effect off a wall, cancelling the interefernce
pattern
towards the viewer. In one image, we see an unusual 10 point photon
pattern, possibly due to the curved geometry of the adjoining arch.
Again, we can see a red thermal noise effect with a yellow photon
losing energy. There is also a fringe effect in two of the images, with
refraction
taking place, between air and vacuum at the air/paint interface,
reflection fron the wall surface, and refraction back across the
paint/air interface.
The velocity, small angle and wavelenth ratio in refraction at a
given wavelength are the same by Snell's Law, the frequency being
unchanged,
as no energy is lost, but the velocity ratio changes for different
wavelengths or frequencies, effectively changing the transmission
distance
for the incident beam at different frequencies. This is according to
Huygen's wave theory, which is seen here, but the photon model would
give
a different result, as explained in Newton's theory. In the
fourth image, we can see inside a yellow photon pair, with red thermal
noise, and some blue
thermal noise, with the track of the originating photon invisible. This
again could be a geometric effect due to the linear fragmented apex of
the
arch and the blue source, surrounding the white light. Outside the
building, there is an interference effect, further blue noise with a
blue source, and
a cubic brown pattern, which moves, grows fainter and eventually
disappears, relative to the angle of the observer. This must be due to
the linear
geometry of the building, with the source at the corner. In the fifth
image, we can see a blue conical ray and a corresponding yellow photon
with
red thermal noise. The two paths are not aligned, perhaps corresponding
to an electrical and magnetic field. In light, the axes are always
perpendicular,
but in non-zero charge driven radiation, this need not be the
case. It is an open question as to what conditions
are required for charge and current not
to radiate. Larmor proved that accelerating charges radiate, while
static fields do not radiate, or when the charges move with constant
velocity.
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Cannabis is another drug commonly associated to hallucinatory
experiences. Cannabis contains cannabidiolic acid, with a pH between 4
and 6. This
has the effect of speeding up the nervous system slightly, as was
observed by a combination of chemists and biologists such as
Nernst and Bernstein.
The Nernst equation, relating the electrical potential, temperature and
equilibrium coefficient for electrolysis reactions, predicts an
increase in the activity
of the reaction, with an increase in potential, an observation also
made by Faraday in the amount of substance formed being proportional to
the amount
of electricity passed. The Bernstein formula is analogous with the
equilibrium coefficient being replaced by the ratio of concentrations
of positive ions,
between the activated and equilibrium concentrations, corresponding to
the activated and equilibrium potentials. An increase in acidity will
increase
the potential at the nerve synapse, with greater conduction, associated
with the drug "high". Technically though, such hallucinatory
experiences correspond
to something chemically real. Cocaine also speeds up the nervous system
but it is an alkali. One explanation of this effect is that it blocks
inhibitors such as
gamma-amiobutyric acid, through neutralisation. The process of
inhibition of an ion channel by an acid might be related to a local
change in resistance, such
effects being observed in physics with the use of transistors to
control he flow of current in another channel, or even electromagnetic
phenomena such as the
induction or deflection or current. Morphine, an opioid, is a weak
alkali, but it has the opposite effect to cocaine, slowing down the
nervous system and
providing pain relief. It can have a strange alternating effect on
nerve conduction, without completely eradicating the nerve signal. This
might suggest that
it alters local potentials in the body, similar to the effect of
depressing or releasing a guitar string, and changes the geometry of
natural electrical signals,
effectively increasing the wavelength and decreasing the frequency.
This can ultimately eradicate the background transmission,.with the
energy loss being
compensated by an increase in body temperature. Both cocaine and
morphine can produce hallucinations or vivid dreams, a famous example
being
Coleridge's use of laudanum when beginning the poem "Kubla Khan", but
again, such effects are in some sense physically real.